HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS – Expeditionary Energy Concepts (E2C) 2016 will host invited vendors to demonstrate energy and water technologies at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 3-5.

The Marine Corps’ E2C process (formerly known as Experimental Forward Operating Base or ExFOB) is designed to identify and evaluate cutting-edge energy and water technologies that can increase the self-sufficiency of expeditionary forces.

Each year, the Marine Corps hosts select industry participants to E2C to demonstrate commercial technologies with the potential to reduce battlefield energy and water requirements and extend the operational reach of the Marine Corps.

This year, E2C will focus on four technology areas:

1) Squad-sized Small Unit Water Purification

2) Energy Storage Technology for Mobile Electric Micro-grid Application

3) Energy Scavenging to Support Distributed Operations

4) Optimization of Shock Trauma Platoon/Forward Resuscitative Surgical System (STP/FRSS)

“E2C is about a partnership with industry to develop and integrate innovative solutions for the Marine Corps,” said Col. Brian Magnuson, director, Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office. “For E2C 2016, we are pursuing energy and water technologies that will sustain distributed forces in austere environments.”

Created by the Commandant of the Marine Corps in 2009, E2C brings together stakeholders from across the Marine Corps requirements, acquisition and technology development communities in a dynamic process to evaluate and accelerate fielding of technologies that reduce battlefield energy and water requirements and extend operational reach.

E2C is not a tradeshow. During the week-long demonstration, teams of engineers will

collect data on system performance and Marine operators will provide qualitative

feedback on what they see. Following the demonstration, promising technologies will be

evaluated in a controlled lab environment and put into the hands of Marines for field

testing in combat conditions. Lab and field evaluation results will inform Marine Corps

requirements development.

This year, the E2C Team will evaluate 13 commercial technologies -- one small unit

water purification system, two mobile electric micro-grid systems, three energy

scavenging systems and seven STP/FRSS systems. These systems all have the

potential to increase the maneuverability and sustainability of distributed operations.

There will also be demonstrations of government-sponsored energy systems including a

trailer-mounted hybrid power system and an integrated system of central power

management coupled with kinetic energy harvesting systems (ex. backpack, knee

brace) that harvest energy from Marines while on patrol.

Through the E2C process, the Marine Corps has conducted eight demonstrations at

bases, reviewed more than 300 technologies, assessed over 100 technologies,

evaluated 26 systems and purchased 11 for extended user evaluation in the United

States and Afghanistan and transitioned five to programs of record.